1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates in general to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to voice telephone calls. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to directing voice telephone calls to a desired call recipient.
2. Description of the Related Art
Call centers are effective units for receiving and directing calls from customers. The calls may be for requests for a service, a new product, product support, etc. In an effort to direct an incoming call to an appropriate representative, many call centers utilize an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. An IVR asks the caller directed questions, such as “Please say the name of the person of department to whom you wish to speak.” If the caller does not know to whom she wishes to speak, many IVR systems will lead the caller through a matrix of questions or prompts from a lengthy menu. That is, the caller will be instructed to wait and listen to a complete list of primary options (often as many as ten or more); select one of these primary options (e.g., “Sales”); wait and listen to a subsequent list of secondary sub-options based on the selected primary option; and then select one of these secondary sub-options (e.g., “Electronics”). This process repeats in a recursive and narrowing manner until the caller reaches her desired party, or else simply gives up in frustration.